1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of man-machine interfaces and instrument control, and more particularly relates to a system and method of using self-defining buttons that are user locatable to control a machine or device for greater physical accessibility and variation for a user.
2. Description of Related Art
People with physical disabilities may be constrained in their use of a variety of equipment, such as motor vehicles, simply by the physical location of the control switches or buttons. The design of most equipment today is primarily centered upon the average or typical physical attributes of the general population (or “average” person). In this manner, manufacturers attempt to attain the most desirability for their products by appealing to the greatest segment of the population. The result is that the needs of persons who do not match typical physical norms, such as the physically disabled or exceedingly short or tall people, are generally ignored or disregarded.
For example, in motor vehicles, a large percentage of the controls are physically located in the center panel of the dashboard. For the average person, this arrangement is fairly easily accessible and convenient. However, for a person having limited mobility or range of motion, such as in the right arm, reaching some of the controls may be difficult or impossible while seated or properly located in the vehicle. This person, who is otherwise perfectly capable of driving the vehicle except for the location of the controls, is prevented from having the independence and freedom associated with driving a motor vehicle simply because of the physical location of its controls (i.e. buttons, switches or other input devices). To overcome this problem, the driver is left with the only option of having the vehicle custom altered to meet the user's needs. If the required alterations are even possible, the cost of doing such customization is usually very expensive.
However, many of the buttons and switches on equipment that control various functions are consistent in size and form, yet the function of each button and switch is defined by its physical location on the equipment. Each button may have a different level of importance to an individual user. But, the standard arrangement of buttons and switches typically does not vary. In some instances, a button that is conveniently located for one user may receive minimal use. Likewise, there can be instances where a control (e.g., a button or a switch or other user input device) that was designed with the intentions of minimal use actually is extremely important to a specific user.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.